Town Meeting:Speaking Guidelines
Be certain that remarks are relevant to the article. Try to be concise and try to limit remarks to points not made by previous speakers. A focused one-minute comment can be more effective than an all-encompassing, and possibly redundant, review.
Avoid personal attacks on individuals, groups, or committees.
Microphones are available for Town Meeting Members and for citizens. Before speaking, a Town Meeting Member must stand behind a microphone designated as YES, NO, or QUESTION (?). Citizens have a microphone available in the balcony.
Town Meeting Members may stand at their seats to
- serve notice of reconsideration
- raise a point of order, point of information, or point of parliamentary inquiry
- offer a privileged motion.
One may use any microphone including the presenters' microphone if moving the previous question. Members making an amendment should use the presenters' microphone.
Questions to boards and committees should, whenever possible, be submitted in writing prior to debate on an article. During debate, questions should be asked one at a time, and the answer listened to before going on to the next question. Answers to questions are not deducted from the time remaining to the questioner.
TODO: Tips for using a microphone. VERIFY: Can the presenter's microphone really be used to move the previous question?